View full sizeDon Ryan/The Associated PressPeople look out over a flooded street in Corvallis. Oregon authorities closed flooded streets and homeowners frantically filled sandbags to keep muddy water out of their homes during the winter storms of January 2012.

The federal government has denied a final appeal from Gov. John Kitzhaber
that sought financial assistance for hundreds of homes damaged in flooding and winter storms last January, the state office of
emergency management said today.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the impact to the homes failed
to meet its criteria for granting aid, said Oregon
Emergency Management spokeswoman Jennifer Chamberlain. The agency did not explicitly state its reasons, she said.

The state is now
researching other potential funding sources to help homeowners, including other
federal agencies, groups in the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster coalition
and others.

FEMA already approved a request for assistance for public infrastructure that was damaged by the winter storms of Jan. 17-21, which brought high winds, flooding and landslides in 12 counties.